NEW DELHI: In the wake of “peace signals” from Pakistani PM Imran Khan and Army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa, the Centre on Friday iterated the onus was on the neighbour to create an atmosphere conducive for the two sides to address outstanding issues bilaterally.
This was even as diplomatic sources confirmed that Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers, S Jaishankar and Shah M Qureshi respectively, were likely to participate in the Heart of Asia (Istanbul process) conference, an initiative for peace in Afghanistan, in Dushanbe on March 30. In Rajya Sabha, the government called for "credible, verifiable and irreversible" action by Pakistan to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross border terrorism against India in any manner.
Sources in Delhi and Islamabad neither confirmed nor denied reports of a meeting between the two. However, an official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the possibility of a "pull aside" on the margins of the conference couldn't be ruled out with both sides looking to build upon the ceasefire agreement last month. It was on the sidelines of the same conference in 2015 in Islamabad that the two sides had unsuccessfully tried to revive the dialogue process in the name of comprehensive bilateral dialogue.
The government's statement, in response to questions on the recent ceasefire agreement, came after the Pakistan Army chief appealed to the two countries to bury the past and move forward but added that it was India's responsibility to create a conducive environment.
While the ceasefire agreement has fuelled speculation about a possible rapprochement, official sources said it was incumbent upon Pakistan to shun cross-border terrorism and also ensure that the ceasefire held before any step was considered in the direction of normalisation of ties. On multilateral fora, like at the UNHRC this week, India has continued to accuse Pakistan of exporting terrorism.
In reply to a written question, junior foreign minister V Muraleedharan recalled that during the visit of then foreign minister Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan in December 2015, it was decided to have a meeting at the level of the foreign secretaries to work out the modalities of the comprehensive bilateral dialogue. However, the meeting could not take place due to the terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase in January 2016 and the continued support, he said, to cross-border terrorism and ceasefire violations by Pakistan.
"The government’s consistent position has been that India desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan and is committed to addressing issues, if any, bilaterally and peacefully in an atmosphere free of terror, hostility and violence," the minister said.
He added that India and Pakistan maintained regular channels of communication through the respective high commissions and other established mechanisms such as hotlines, flag meetings and scheduled talks between the Directorate Generals of Military Operations (DGMO). Through these well-established mechanisms, the government regularly takes up all cases of unprovoked ceasefire violations and support for cross-border terrorist infiltration by Pakistani forces, he said. Pakistan has been consistently called upon to abide by it’s 2003 ceasefire commitment for maintaining peace and tranquillity along the international boundary and the LoC.